Gunderkeen One-Shots
by bethechange1011
Summary: "You don't call someone an idiot that many times unless you're really into them." A collection of One-Shots about Mallory Keen and Idiot Gunderson. Formerly "Coffee"
1. Coffee

**AN: Hey guys! So, I may or may not have just found out that they had a Magnus Chase category… DON'T JUDGE ME I'M SLOW OKAY.**

 **Ahem… Anyways, I read a lot of them and they're all super good, if you've written one, good job to you! Most of them were about Hearthstone/Blitzen (no objections there), Annabeth and Magnus' talk on the bridge (yassssss), and I think there was one Magnus/Sam (PLEASE** ** _(do not)_** **WRITE MORE OF THEM, I** ** _(do not)_** **SHIP THEM SO FRICKING HARD** ** _)_** **So I thought I'd join the party and write about the one shipping that I SHIP WITH MY LIFE but I haven't seen many fanfics for. Aka Halfborn and Mallory. Hope you guys like it, and without further adue...**

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 **Update from the author as of October 2016-** ** _Before any of my fellow Sam/Amir and Magnus/Alex shippers kill me for above ^^^ I am currently hardcore regretting my decision to ship Magnus and Sam at any point in my life, please do ignore that cuz like now the ship makes me want to puke and I ship Fierrochase with my life now. Okay, enjoy reading the rest. :)_**

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 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard.**

Mallory Keen walked into Lounge 19 still half asleep. She was in the mood for a nice cup of coffee, surrounded by the group of idiots that were her second family.

It had been a couple weeks since the battle with Fenris. Things had relatively settled down since then. Breakfast wasn't too different, even though they no longer had X with them. Magnus took his spot at the table, and he wasn't bad company.

"Morning, all you idiots." She yawned, her vision still blurred.

"Just me today." Said a voice that made Mallory's heart do a somersault.

"Where's everyone else? So stupid that they got lost?"

Halfborn just shook his head and rolled his eyes. Mallory's eyes had focused now and she took in the sight of Halfborn. He was so dam gorgeous, like a beautiful god. With a shock, she realized that his wild beard was actually combed and neat for once. She tried to imagine how many hours that must have taken.

"You're right. Of course that can't be it. You're the biggest idiot of them all, if anyone would have gotten lost, it would have been you."

He laughed, a beautiful, happy sound that made her want to laugh with him. Still, she fought to keep a straight face.

"Are you sure you're not talking about yourself?"

Now it was Mallory's turn to roll her eyes. "Shut up, you idiot. I hate you so much, you know that?"

He smirked. "You don't mean that one bit. I know you like me, Mallory Keen. You're a horrible liar."

Mallory felt her face turning almost as red as her hair. "No I do not! I knew you were crazy, but I didn't know you were that out of your mind."

"Suuuuuurrrrrrreeeee. I'm the one who's out of my mind. It's so obvious."

"How?"

"C'mon. You pretend to hate me, but you're actually super nice to me. And you insult me about ten times more than you insult everyone else-"

"Because you're about ten times the idiot." Mallory cut him off.

"See?" He laughed. "Even now, you take every possible opportunity to insult me. If you didn't like me, you would just not care."

"Halfborn Gunderson, you are officially the biggest idiot I've ever met. And stop smiling like that, you look like a mutated ragdoll."

"Someone's in denial!" He sing-songed.

"Shut up and let me get my coffee."

She started to stand up, but he was quicker. He stopped her, his arms going around her. Her heart started beating at a million miles an hour.

"Not until you admit it."

"You can't admit something that isn't true."

"Okay fine then. Maybe I should go first. I happen to like someone in this hotel too."

"Oh? That poor girl."

"Shut up. Let's see… she has seven letters in her name, she lives on the nineteenth floor, and she's absolutely beautiful."

Mallory swore he could feel how fast her heart was beating.

"It's you." He whispered in her ear, sending a chill down her spine.

"I will deny saying this for the rest of my life. I just really need some caffeine now. But yeah, I do." She didn't think her face could get any redder.

Halfborn grinned from ear to ear. "There we go. And by the way, they're out of coffee. I just had the last cup."

"ARE YOU SERIOUS? HALFBORN GUNDERSON, I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU."

"And I swear that I will come back by the end of the day, perfectly fine."

"You're such an idiot. And you still haven't told me where the others are."

"Well… I may or may not have asked them to come at an earlier time so we'd have the place to ourselves."

"THIS is your idea of a first date? We go here EVERY SINGLE morning, there's nothing special! And you drunk the last dam cup of coffee! And look out the window, who wants to see Jotunheim out the window? That's my least favorite of the Nine Realms. You are such an idiot!" She punched his chest, but it obviously didn't hurt him one bit.

"Want me to make it better?"

"As if you could, you stupid, hideous, mutated ragd-"

He cut her off by smashing his lips down onto her's. She could feel his triumphant smile against her mouth and she couldn't help but smile back. There was even a taste of coffee still left in his mouth.

 **AN: What did you guys think? Good? Okay? Horrible? I hope it was the first one. I will say that this was a lot different to write than my other fluff-fics. This shipping really means alot to me, it goes way past just thinking that they're cute together (don't ask). Anyways, once again, I really hope you guys liked it and thanks so much for reading.**


	2. AN?

**AN: Hey guys! So first of all, I want to thank you all so much for the positive feedback I've gotten from this story. I know there is one guest who commented (rachelmx) and I meant to reply to your comment, but my PM has been glitching for so long it's not even funny. I'm super sorry about that, but thank you so much!**

 **Anyways, since I have many more ideas for this pairing, I'm wondering, how many of you would want me to turn this into a collection of Halfborn/Mallory one-shots? (Still not sure on the ship name) Comment if you would like it! If I get 5 or more comments, I'll post another chapter. Sound good?**

 **THANK YOU AND HAVE A LOVELY DAY**


	3. As You Wish

**AN: So… I asked, and you guys answered. You guys wanted more one shots, so here we go! This was super fun to write, even though I kept getting distracted cuz I'm listening to music and keep finding myself typing something like "I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love" which doesn't exactly fit in XD If you know what I was listening to, have a cookie (::)**

 **Other shippings: Bits of Hearth/Blitz and Magnus/Sam**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Magnus Chase OR The Princess Bride**

Floor 19 was meeting in Magnus' room for a movie. This got all its residents excited since some of them didn't even have videos in their lifetime. And then those few residents managed to get everyone else excited until the whole floor was buzzing. After dinner, they all dispersed to get ready and within half an hour, reported to Magnus' room.

Sam, Hearth, and Blitz had already arrived and were chilling on the grass with an assortment of foods they had smuggled in from Midgard. As einherjar trickled in, they wandered around and talked to others before sitting down.

The boys stuffed themselves with pizza and candy while Mallory and Sam rolled their eyes at what pigs they were being. Blitz and Hearth sat together away from the group, signing things at each other.

Eventually, Sam left to go talk to Magnus and the two of them sat down on a towel, chatting amiably. TJ claimed he had too much food in one night and headed for Magnus' bathroom. That left Halfborn and Mallory, alone with a bunch of wrappers. They sat quietly for a while before Halfborn broke the silence.

"You excited?"

"Eh. I'd rather be watching this with people that aren't ugly idiots."

"Ohhhh! I didn't realize that everyone here besides you is a mirror!"

"You have the collective intelligence of one."

He laughed. "Not too bad, you have a very _keen_ ability to insult."

She groaned. "That was quite possibly the stupidest pun ever, idiot."

"It was quite possibly the best pun ever, right TJ?" Halfborn asked as TJ came back and sat down beside them.

"TJ, tell this idiot that not only is he stupid, he's also fat after eating so much."

TJ grinned. "Awww, the lovebirds sound like an old married couple."

Halfborn rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide a laugh when he saw Mallory's face. She looked like she was about to kill someone.

"John Wilkes Booth killed Abraham Lincoln." She hissed at the former Civil War soldier.

TJ's face turned pale. "Too soon, Mal. Too soon." He stood up and went over to sit with Magnus and Sam who appeared to be sharing some falafel.

Mallory rolled her eyes. "It's been a hundred fifty years and it's still 'too soon'."

"A hundred fifty years is barely anything."

Mallory looked puzzled then remembered. "Right. You're from like thirty thousand years ago. Yet somehow you still have the intelligence of a peanut."

"Peanuts are pretty smart, you know. Smarter than you."

Mallory tried to come up with a good comeback but before she could, she was interrupted.

"Okay, guys! Thanks for coming! So… I'm sure you all want to know what movie we're watching tonight!" Magnus stood up, signing what he was saying so that Hearth could understand. "Well… It's my personal favorite... The Princess Bride!"

"Magnus, haven't you seen that like twenty five times?" Sam called out.

Magnus tried to look offended. "Of course not! I've seen it twenty six times."

This caused a laugh from the group.

"Just shut up and watch it." Magnus put the DVD in and sat back down.

"Have you seen this?" Halfborn asked Mallory.

"Nope. I'm assuming you haven't either."

"And for once in your life, you're right."

"It sounds stupid though, er- not as stupid as you. I mean, what is this Disney? _The Princess Bride_. How does it get cheesier than that?"

"For the second time in your life, you're right."

Surprisingly, it wasn't that cheesy. They both got into the plot quickly, their eyes lighting up whenever there was any sort of violence on screen. Whenever it was dramatic, you'd be able to hear a pin drop in the room. Halfborn, especially since he wasn't extremely familiar with modern culture, seemed even more entranced. Mallory couldn't help noticing how beautiful he looked when he was concentrating intensely on something, like the screen.

About halfway through, Halfborn fumbled for more food around them, but in the darkness, his hand grabbed Mallory's on accident. She quickly looked at him, expecting an explanation, hoping he couldn't feel her heart beating twenty times harder.

"Sorry." He said, but he didn't move his hand.

"Keep your hands to yourself." Mallory replied, but she didn't pull away.

Finally, the movie was over and Magnus turned the lights back on.

"Hope you guys liked it!" He said, looking at his friends around the room. His eyes seemed to land on Mallory and Halfborn's entwined fingers. He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "My mom and I used to watch it all the time." His voice faltered slightly when he mentioned his mother.

"It was great! I wish there were moving pictures like that when I was growing up." TJ said wistfully.

Magnus and TJ launched into a conversation about movies and a book he saw in the library about technology during the 1800s. Everyone else lost interest quickly and started their own conversations.

"So, how'd you like it?" Mallory asked.

"It was much better than I thought. For the five millionth time, you were wrong!" Halfborn said with glee.

"And for the five _billionth_ time, you were also wrong." She shot back.

"Oh shut up, Mallory."

She gazed briefly at their hands which were still together. Slowly, she began to smile. "Make me."

Halfborn returned the smirk, just before their lips met. "As you wish."

 **AN: So… I hope that wasn't too bad. Let me know what you thought! Also, if you have any requests for one-shots, I will definitely look into it. Ahh, I love these two so much. It's a bit of a problem.**


	4. Teasing

**AN: Hello guys! I am currently dying. This year, my summer is a month longer than usual and I was sooo looking forward to finding a bunch of new fandoms. Then I got my school's summer reading list and now I have like no time because I have to read a bunch of books that are LITERALLY about punctuation and study for Honors classes. Whyyyyyyyyy**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own this wonderful world created by a wonderful troll.**

Mallory was getting extremely fed up. Ever since Halfborn had finaly, _finally_ asked her out, she had been a lot more pleasant of a person, and was practically floating on air. Now, he was gone for the week on some business in one of the Nine Worlds, she forgot which once. She hated to admit it, but she missed the big idiot a lot. Hanging out with him at become such a happy part of her day that she forgot what it was like to not see him for days. That was one reason she was fed up. The main reason, however, was with her fellow hallmates.

The first one was Magnus. During breakfast, when T.J. went to go get some more juice, he took the opportunity to start a conversation.

"So, day two without Halfborn, how are you holding up?" he raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you think I'm so dependent on his existence?" she replied. They still hadn't decided to make their relationship public yet.

"You know you liiiiikkkkeeee him."

"HIM?!" she half yelled, which wasn't very abnormal, T.J. didn't even turn around from across the room. "He's the biggest, ugliest idiot I know."

"You don't call someone an idiot that much unless you're really into them."

"I call everyone an idiot, because you all are. Does that mean I'm attracted to _all_ of you?!"

"Well, I wouldn't blame you." Magnus tried to flex his biceps, or lack thereof.

"Excuse me while I barf."

"Well, that's not the point. The point is that you totally like him." By now, T.J. had returned to the table and sat, silent, but amused.

"I do not!"

"You're blushing." T.J. spoke up.

"ARGH!" Mallory stormed out of the room, the two boys' laughs echoing behind her.

That was only the beginning. For the next week, T.J. and Magnus seemed to be trying to do whatever possible to bug the Hel out of her. She'd find notes with _H+M_ in her room that judging by the handwriting were from T.J. She'd be walking down the hallway and suddenly hear an outburst of "Mallory and Halfborn, sitting in a tree" coming from Magnus' room. Both of them had refused to call her anything but Mrs. Gunderson. And the worst part? She actually somewhat enjoyed it, which was extra infuriating.

Finally, it was the day that Halfborn came back. Finally, the torment would end. Little did she know that it would just get worse from there.

"Is she a good kisser, Halfborn?"

"What are you going to name your kids?"

"Just admit it! It's sooo obvious!"

Both just rolled their eyes and ignored the comments, both refusing to confirm whether they actually were a thing or not. Not that the others needed it.

LINE BREAK

After another day of combat, Mallory and Halfborn, being the least injured, woke up before T.J. and even before Magnus which was rare. The two lay side by side, cuddled on Halfborn's couch. Their lips were locked, enjoying the kiss a little _too_ much before finally breaking apart for air. Mallory buried her face in the green fabric of Halfborn's Hotel Valhalla shirt. He kissed her forehead, pulling her even closer.

It was that moment that Magnus barged into the room. Halfborn mentally cursed himself for forgetting to close the door completely when Mallory came in.

"Halfborn? You up yet?" His gaze quickly moved from the bed to the couch. When he saw the two in the position they were in, his eyes widened.

"OH MY GODS. IT'S REAL." He squealed, like a girl obsessing over a band or show or book or something. "#GUNDERKEEN IS REAL. I KNEW IT." He ran off, most likely to go find T.J.

"Guess our cover is finally blown. Not that we ever really had one." Mallory lightly punched her boyfriend. "All thanks to your stupidity. As usual."

Halfborn just looked confused. "What's a hashtag Gunderkeen?"

Mallory rolled her eyes. "Right. I forgot you were literally from the age of Vikings."

"Hey, in a couple thousand years, you'll know how it feels."

"Whatever, moron. Now… Where were we?"

 **AN: Ehhhhh I felt like that was kinda OOC, but I still wanted to write it. Hope you liked it, and now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to reading about the apostrophe. Wish me luck.**


	5. The Past

**AN: WARNING. THIS CONTAINS ANGST. Sorry, after all the fluff, I needed to throw some variety in. Next chapter will be fluffy again. Also, I just really felt writing this was very therapeutic. This is actually probably either my first or my second time writing angsty stuff so let me know if you have any suggestions or thoughts about it.**

 **This is an AU where Magnus' magic wasn't strong enough and Halfborn died before they got back to Hotel Valhalla after the battle with Fenris.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MCGA**

No one had seen Mallory Keen in days. She didn't go to meals, she didn't attend any of the hotel events-to-the-death, and the only time she left her room was to pick up her food from outside the door.

Most people on Floor 19 knew that she had died trying to disarm a car bomb. What they didn't know was the reason she had done so. It wasn't because she was trying to play the hero. It was because she had nothing to lose.

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When she was young, her parents knew she was different. She would wake up at night with searing pain in her legs and she would lose feeling in her arms for hours at a time. These were rare occurrences, they only happened a couple times a month. What really set her apart however, was her inability to speak normally. Her words came out garbled and slow. At first her parents just assumed it was because she was learning to speak. When there was no improvement by the time she was entering fourth grade, they realized something was wrong. They took her to a doctor, who recommended a speech therapist to her. Her parents sent her to therapy every week for over a year. Eventually, even they gave up on her. No one really knew why this was. Her mind, hearing, and vocal chords were in perfect condition. Then, when she was taken in for another examination, they pinpointed the source of not her speech problem, but the pain and numbness in her limbs. She was diagnosed with a rare nerve disease by age twelve. And she'd be lucky if she made it past twenty five.

She had always avoided communication with people, but now she became even more introverted. She put all her efforts into education, having nothing else to channel her energy into. Soon, she was the top student in her school. This just brought on more taunting.

Then he changed everything, come eighth grade year. She had seen Bruce around, he lived down the street from her. He was undeniably attractive and charming, one of the most admired boys in her school. He was the last person she would have expected to reach out to her. He was so much of a gentleman and treated her like the lady she never knew she could be. She had fallen madly in love after a month. She was happier than anyone had seen her… well… ever.

But that was only temporary. She was headed for the library a couple years later, after school, when she overheard him talking to his friends. She listened in briefly before realizing they were talking about her. And Bruce wasn't talking about how great she was.

"HA! What's even wrong with her face? Forget that stupid voice, her hair makes her look like a firetruck."

"You know she likes you, Bruce, she likes you."

Then came Bruce's laughter. "I know! It's so disgusting!"

Mallory couldn't take it. She raced home as fast as she could and locked herself in her room. How had she been so _STUPID_?

When she refused to leave, her parents got impatient. Soon, they had gotten into a huge fight. Mallory couldn't believe her parents would say the things they said. It still hurt to remember some of them. She finally had no one in the world left. She knew her parents would come around eventually, but she didn't care. She ran out the door, needing fresh air. To be somewhere, anywhere but her house. She ended up in the town square where there was a lot of commotion going on. After asking around a bit, she gathered that there was a bomb underneath someone's car and no one knew how to disable it.

Mallory was a smart girl, afterall. She was already taking classes at the local college and she was small enough to fit under the vehicle. Besides, even if she couldn't disable the bomb, what did she have to lose? Maybe the world would be better without Mallory Keen in it.

Taking in a deep breath- her last one- she volunteered herself and before anyone could stop her, she got to work. It was harder than she expected, but she figured it out quickly. She just had to make one more adjustment before- BOOM. Everything went dark.

When she woke up in Hotel Valhalla, the fact that she was somehow still somewhat alive was only the second thing she noticed. The first thing was that her limbs felt stronger, more healthy. The third was what she noticed when she was taken up to Floor 19. Her voice sounded unlike it did before. It was… normal.

Her hallmates, then just T.J. and Halfborn, were the first people besides her parents who accepted her. Her habit of calling them idiots wasn't intentional, but started as a reflex because it was the only thing people had ever called her. After a few years, she learned to use it as a joke, and she was happier than she had ever been in her mortal life, even when she had been with Bruce. Somewhere between all the insults traded, she had learned to love again, this time with Halfborn. He was the only one she had ever told about all of this. And now he was gone.

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Ever since they had arrived back at the hotel after the battle with Fenris, Mallory floated around, not having felt so empty in years. She had forgotten what it felt like to feel this alone.

She would have given anything to see his face one last time. Instead, the image of his dying, unconscious face was permanently tattooed on her eyelids. She could still feel her throat becoming sore from screaming, see Magnus' sad, hopeless expression after not being able to save him. She didn't hold it against him, however. She knew all too well what it was like to try saving people but just barely fail.

Instead of blaming him, she blamed herself. She shouldn't have let him get hurt. She should have told him how much he meant to her while she could. She should have, she should have, she should have. She was worthless. All her mistakes slowly engulfed her until she couldn't take it. She felt so empty, yet so heavy at the same time. It hurt to think of almost anything. She hated herself, she hated her appearance, she hated her body, she hated her heart for not being able to let go. The last straw was when she called room service after a month of living like this.

"I'd like to order-" Mallory began but then recoiled with shock. She threw the phone down and just sat there, tears beginning to spill down her face. Her words had come back the way they used to. What she didn't know was that the reason she never learned to talk normally in her old life wasn't that something was wrong with her. It was because she was so unhappy. Even her months with Bruce, she still wasn't free of the pain. The only time she could truly be happy, see Halfborn again, was in her dreams. She slept as long as she could, because it all hurt too much.

So, when she forgot to lock the door and T.J. came in, only to find her sleeping with dried tears coating her face, he let her be.

 **AN: *dodges brick* I'M SORRY. I JUST HAD TO WRITE IT. I PROMISE EXTRA FLUFF NEXT CHAPTER. It was really interesting writing Mallory's backstory, though. All we knew was that she died trying to disarm a car bomb so I really let myself piece together what her life might have been like (unlikely, though). Still, let me know what you thought about it and I'm sorry if I broke your feels.**


	6. Ticklish

**AN: Hello, I'm back! I got the idea for this while eating a snack. I hope you enjoy and the cheesiness doesn't annoy! Hehe, sorry that I was rhyming, my mind is still in rhyme zone because of the timing, I was just writing a new rap battle on my phone. DAM IT I'M STILL RHYMING. Reasons why I'm secretly a daughter of Apollo.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Magnus Chase!**

Warm sun drifted into Magnus' room as the residents of Floor 19 lounged in the grass. The late afternoon light gave the room a golden look that made everything seem so much better and happier. The four einherjar were hanging out before dinner, as they had nothing better to do. They were all exhausted from the 3:00 _Pillow Forts to the Death_ (they had agreed not to speak of it again) and had a couple hours to kill.

Somehow, in their boredom, they had resorted to practice combat with giant feather swords (souvenirs from _Arts and Crafts to the Death_ ). T.J. had been working with Mallory and the giant feather brushed against her arm as he mimed cutting it off. Expecting Mallory to retaliate fiercely and most likely "decapitate" him, but instead she did the last thing he had expected. She squirmed and _giggled_.

This got the others' attentions. Mallory _never_ giggled. She was always yelling at them and acting like a violent, threat spewing tomboy. Other than that, she was sweet as honey. Halfborn had to admit, she did look pretty cute when she laughed, though. It made her look more like a carefree teenager, the way she should look. He had rarely seen her like this, and it made his heart flutter to see the laughter in her emerald eyes. Not that that was relevant.

"What did I do?" T.J. asked, puzzled. "Is there something on my face?"

"No. Never mind." Mallory answered, a little too quickly. "At least once you get past the ugly."

T.J. laughed and grinned. "You mean the amazingness."

Mallory snorted and rolled her eyes. Halfborn felt a tight tug of irritation in his chest that he couldn't quite place.

He returned to fighting with Magnus, but was watching Mallory and T.J. out of the corner of his eye.

"Dude, you're really not into this. I've literally stabbed you five times and you haven't noticed." Magnus drew his attention back.

Halfborn started to answer but then his eyes once again fell on the other two. Mallory had obviously made another one of her snide comments. T.J. rolled his eyes, and flicked her cheek with the feather. Another giggle. A bubble burst in Halfborn's chest. He was about to go over and say something, but before he could, Magnus spoke up, having followed his gaze.

"You're ticklish." He realized. "That's why you keep laughing whenever the feather touches you."

"That's it!" T.J.'s eyes lit up. "Good job, Magnus!"

Magnus gave him a feather-five. "Enough mystery books at the library does that."

Halfborn breathed a little bit, and almost found himself laughing. Mallory Keen, the fierce warrior was _ticklish_. It wasn't because of T.J.- not that it mattered.

"I AM _NOT!_ You guys are all just idiots." Mallory protested, but it wasn't working. Her face was a deeper scarlet color than her hair.

"Aww, is someone embarrassed?" Halfborn cooed. She blushed even harder.

"SHUT UP, GUNDERSON." She yelled.

Halfborn was smiling uncontrollably now. He finally found something he could use to get her back for her teasing. He grabbed his, and Magnus', feather and lunged towards her. She yelped slightly and ran. Halfborn chased her around Magnus' room as she yelled Scandinavian curses at him. Magnus and T.J. stood in the center of the chaos just laughing.

Finally, she was cornered by Magnus' bed. Halfborn smiled wickedly.

"No escaping now." He lunged towards her, and she fell back onto the bed, still cursing and kicking at him.

Halfborn fell onto the bed with her, feathers abandoned. He then proceeded to tickle her mercilessly, his hands moving quickly against her Hotel Valhalla shirt.

"STOP IT! HALFBORN!"

He just laughed. "You know you like it."

"I. DO. NOT. LET GO. OF ME." Mallory demanded between laughs.

"This is payback for all the times you called me an idiot."

"HALFBORN!" She screamed, her face red from the laughter… and perhaps the fact that he was so close as well.

"You know, if I didn't know what you two were doing on my bed, I'd probably be worried." Magnus called over. At this, both of their faces grew even hotter.

Halfborn got up, deciding he had tormented her enough. As soon as he was standing, he received a kick in the groin.

"HEY! Okay, I deserved that." He admitted.

His heart was still fluttering from being so close to her. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, deep down, he knew he had had feelings for her since the day she arrived. He knew under her joking "meanness" she really was a good person. The question was whether she thought the same about him.

They rejoined T.J. and Magnus and they decided to continue their sword fighting practice with wooden sticks instead. This time, Magnus and T.J. partnered, so Halfborn was with Mallory.

He had rarely trained against her before and she was surprisingly good. Magnus was a quick learner, but he lacked the years of experience that everyone else had. Mallory was a good match for his level. Her expression was one of the utmost concentration as she blocked and parried.

Finally, it was time for dinner. Magnus and T.J. put their sticks back in a drawer in Magnus' desk and started for the door.

"Man, I'm starving." T.J. groaned.

"I know, after two years on the streets, everything tastes amazing." Magnus agreed.

"You coming?" T.J. looked at Halfborn, who was still engaged in combat.

"Yeah." He managed to say, not letting his concentration down, using his berserker strength to help his fighting. "Just a second."

"We'll meet you down there, I can't wait another minute for food." Magnus announced, opening the door. "Remember, we'll expect you down there in a few minutes. If you're not, we'll have to do some investigating." Halfborn swore he just winked. That little-

Mallory used his distraction to her advantage and managed to disarm him not long after the others were outside.

"Good fight. You're not _too_ bad." Mallory dropped her stick.

"Oh, that's all I get?"

She outstretched her hand. "Good job, Gunderson. I might even forgive you for the tickling"

He shook it, laughing. In the few seconds that their hands touched, he felt the butterflies again. Dam it.

"We should practice together more often." He blurted and immediately regretted it. No doubt this would bring on another snide comment.

Instead, she just nodded. "That wouldn't be too bad. I don't think stupidness is contagious, so I wouldn't mind spending some more time with you." A soft blush crept into her cheeks once she said the last part. Halfborn's smile widened.

"Tomorrow, same time?"

Mallory pecked him on the cheek. "It's a date."

 **AN: *cringes* I didn't like that one as much as I hoped I would, but maybe you guys won't think it's too bad? If you have any one-shot requests, let me know. Since we don't know much about these two, it's harder to think of ideas. Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoyed it!**


	7. Hammer of Thor AN

**OKAY SORRY GUYS IF YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS AN UPDATE, BUT OH MY GODS.**

 **IF ANY OF YOU HAVE FINISHED HAMMER OF THOR YET PLEASE PM ME. I JUST FINISHED IT AND IM A MESS CUZ I NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO ABOUT IT.**

 **okay i'll be gone now. I shall have another update for you soon :)**

 **~C**


	8. Smiley Faces

**AN: I'm back guys! Uck. School's killing me, wish me luck surviving. Anyways, so depending on how you are about spoilers, carry on at your own risk. I'd barely consider this a Hammer of Thor spoiler (I'm not posting any until January 2017, deal?) but it is inspired by a rather insignificant tiny detail in the book. It honestly shouldn't spoil anything, but as I said, read on at your own risk.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MCGA**

The ride was taking forever. They had been traveling for what- three hours now?

T.J. had fallen asleep, resting his head against his Civil War bayonet, leaving Halfborn and Mallory to stare at the endless darkness as they traveled on.

Mallory reached for her knife in the darkness. She didn't like being in the dark and feeling vulnerable. She fumbled around her seat for a while before feeling a sharp prick. She bit back a curse. She had grabbed the wrong end of the knife, leaving a small cut on her hand.

"And you're the one who calls me an idiot." Halfborn's amused whisper caused her to jump. They hadn't spoken in nearly an hour.

"What makes you think I did anything?"

Halfborn smirked in the darkness. To what, he wasn't sure, since Mallory couldn't see him. "I have a PhD in educated guesses, you know."

" _I have a PhD in educated guesses, you know_." Mallory repeated in a mocking tone. "Is that even a thing?"

"Depends. Do you need something to stop the blood?"

"Aghh, it's just a small cut, you dummy. I'm fine."

Halfborn chuckled. "This is what I get for being a good boyfriend."

Mallory swallowed down a feeling of giddiness. She still had a hard time believing that he was talking about her and not some lucky other girl.

"Aren't you used to it by now?" She teased after a moment.

"I was used to it a long time ago, Mal."

"Oh wow, how flattering."

Halfborn blinked. "What?"

"The Latin root 'mal' means 'bad', you know. You know how I know that?"

"How?"

Mallory took on an impression of his voice. He could almost hear the smugness in her voice. " _I have a PhD in Latin._ "

Halfborn groaned. "I walked right into that, didn't I?"

"For the second time this week too!" Mallory added, cheerfully.

Mallory glanced at the blood streaming from her hand. Halfborn, as if following her gaze, changed the subject.

"Are you sure you don't need something? I could give you my shirt."

"You're not wearing a shirt."

"Oh shut up. I'm trying to be nice."

Mallory dipped her finger in the blood and drew a smiley face on what she assumed was his arm.

"A reward for you kindness."

Halfborn grunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "The reward I always wanted. Thanks for that."

"You're welcome." A second smiley face joined the first one.

"Alright, you have fun drawing blood mustaches on me. I'll be napping with T.J. Just try not to accidentally gouge my eyes out." Halfborn announced.

"Tempting."

"Shut up, woman." He closed his eyes as Mallory gave a small laugh.

Soon the cavern was filled with the sounds of Halfborn's soft snores. Mallory added more smiley faces to his skin. She was thankful for the darkness that hid her blush as her finger brushed his chest over and over. Finally, once the bleeding had stopped, she rested her head on his shoulder, nestling into the crook in his neck. She felt him smile in his sleep, as if he knew she was there. Together, they stayed side by side as they continued along the long, dark path.

 **AN: Okay guysss, so I have a question. I do want to start writing for other ships in the Magnus Chase series as well, so should I create a new story for that, or should I post them to this story as well and turn it into a collection of all ships rather than just Halfborn and Mallory? Please let me know your opinion!**


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